A Rewritten Fit Guide, and a Ton of Restocks
Summer’s here, the kids are out of school, I’m at Roskilde Festival this week, and after that, I’ve just got one week left at the desk before this year’s summer holiday.
I’ll be out of the office from July 10 through August 2—physically and mentally. That’s three issues’ worth of the DH Weekly, and while I could’ve paused it, I’ve been building real momentum this year, and I don’t want to lose it. (Plus, a few of you told me you actually look forward to these, and I don’t want to let you down 🥹)
At the same time, I’ve promised myself—and my wife—that I won’t be working (too much) while we’re away. So no weekly issues from the road. I also realise that most of you will probably be taking some time off this month too. And the last thing you want to come back to after a good holiday is an inbox full of “news” emails from me.
All of that made me realise that this is the perfect opportunity to do something I’ve wanted to do for years: create a proper “start here” series for anyone who’s new to raw denim and to Denimhunters.
It’s a big job—just like the shop guide series I published a few weeks back—but it’s the kind of thing that can roll out over several weeks, something you can take your time with once you’re back at your desk … and it has “long-tail” written all over it.
Working on it, I went back to one of the site’s oldest guides—a true cornerstone. And found a foundational crack in it. Now fixed, it’s this week’s lead story.
In This Issue of the DH Weekly
- The Fit Guide Rewrite – why fit category and leg shape are two different things, and why it matters
- Ten Months in My Weirlooms – Indigo Invitational update and where things stand
- Franklin & Poe – Pure Blue Japan, Big John, Freenote Cloth, and Indigofera restocks
- Brooklyn Clothing – Also PBJ, Buzz Rickson’s, The Flat Head, and Wonder Looper
- Redcast Heritage – The Flat Head, John Lofgren, and Deluxeware
- Iron Heart – loopwheel tees restocked, plus the story behind the fabric
- KATO’s Pail Fit Guide, Gustin’s Indigo Acid, Tellason’s Item of the Week
- From the Archive – the best raw denim brands guide
Want This in Your Inbox Every Friday?
The DH Weekly is my column and newsletter on what’s happening in raw denim and heritage menswear: new stories, product picks, restocks, sales, and the odd bit of denim history. Sign up below and never miss an issue.
I Found a Critical Flaw in My Fit Guide
Finding jeans that actually fit should be easier than it is. The problem isn’t just inconsistent sizing—it’s that most fit advice, including my own, sometimes gets it all wrong.
Going back into my fit guide while building that new series, I found a mistake. The original guide treated fit and leg shape as one thing. A “slim straight” or a “tapered” fit was listed as a single factor—when in reality, those are two completely separate factors.
The rewrite separates them properly.
- Fit category (slim, regular, or loose) is about how close the cut is designed to sit to your leg.
- Leg shape (straight, tapered, or flared) is about what the leg does from the knee down.
They work on different axes entirely, which is exactly why the same pair can be described so differently from one brand to the next.
Rise is the third factor, now with a proper explanation of the yoke—the V-shaped back panel that’s the actual construction mechanism determining how the rise sits and curves on your body.
And fabric is what I call “the hidden” fourth factor: it doesn’t change the silhouette, but it changes how any given silhouette actually feels to wear.
If you’ve ever bought a pair that looked right and felt wrong, an issue with one or more of those four things is usually why.
10 Months in, and the Finish Line in Sight
The tenth monthly submission for the Indigo Invitational is due July 7th. I’m competing in a pair of WL-001 ‘Second Edition’ jeans—though I’m not really in the race, since I’ll be helping with the judging again this year.
I launched Weirloom in April last year and—while I wore prototypes before that, and a pair of the ‘First Editions’ for a few months—this is the longest I’ve worn a pair of my own jeans.
So ten months in, and we’re now in the final stretch. Bryan put the last mile right in the middle of summer—a little cruel, maybe, but also smart. The heat speeds up the process, which means the fades are moving faster.
The pocket bags on my jeans are holding up exceptionally well. Usually, this is the first thing to go on other jeans I’ve worn, and there’s no sign of that here. The denim fades easily and all over, giving the jeans a nice vintage-fade look, and the slubs are really coming through.
If you’re also in the competition too, remember to submit your fades before July 7th.
Things Worth Your Attention
My inbox has been overflowing with drops and restocks since the last issue. Here’s what I think’s worth your attention right now.
Franklin & Poe Restocks PBJ, Big John and Freenote
Pure Blue Japan’s flagship XX fabric is back, alongside a new one for the brand: Teacore, woven from black-dyed threads over a brown core that fades into a black-and-brown tapestry.
Big John brings back the 16 oz. Wild Duck wide leg plus two new pairs, including the dense 17 oz. M1803. And Freenote Cloth has a new Kaihara fabric, the 50s, with a broken-in hand straight off the bolt.
F&P also got some new Indigofera in. The wide-leg, high-rise Dukes are back in 14.5 oz. Gunpowder denim, known for its fade potential, and the Wendell—their riff on the double-knee work pant—now in a new 14 oz. black denim with a thick, substantial hand.
Brooklyn Clothing’s Big Summer Delivery
Calgary’s denim destination also got the Pure Blue Japan XX restock—in both the 019 Relaxed Taper and 005 Straight, after a two-year wait—alongside chino trousers and heavyweight jersey tops.
Buzz Rickson’s brings loopwheeled slub henleys and herringbone work shirts on vintage military patterns. From The Flat Head, they got a new 5 oz. selvedge chambray work shirt, plus a restock of the 18 oz. selvedge denim. And Wonder Looper has a hand-dyed crewneck using Amami’s mud-dyeing process.
Redcast Got Some Flat Head, John Lofgren, and Deluxeware
This week, Redcast got back the 10 oz. indigo wabash western (including sizes 46 and 48), the 14.5 oz. Type II jacket, the 10 oz. denim work shirt, and the 12.5 oz. wide tapered jeans in black. Also back: the horsehide Single Rider’s jacket, built to mould to the body over time, and just f#cking gorgeous.
On the accessories side, John Lofgren’s Leather Care Kit is restocked—brushes, creams, cleaner, and a Paulownia wood box from Toyama. The leather cleaner is available separately too, along with their heritage-stripe socks in two-packs.
And if you’re after a loopwheel tee, Deluxeware’s DXTS-00 is the top of their lineup—12.5 oz., knitted seamless, sewn on a customised vintage Union Special. They run small, so size up from your usual size.
Iron Heart’s Loopwheel Tees Are Back, With a Story
The heavyweight champs just dropped a big range of loopwheeled T-shirts, including the long-awaited IHT-1610L.
What I like here isn’t just the restock. Iron Heart is based in Japan, with direct access to the factories that produce their loopwheeled tees—and they’ve written up how the fabric is made and why it behaves the way it does. Worth a read.
KATO’s Pail Fit Guide, on Four Different Builds
Their loose straight, high-rise cut, built around something most fit guides skip entirely: the same pair, shown on four different guys at four different heights, front and back.
It’s a good illustration of exactly what I mean in this week’s lead story—the same fit reads differently depending on who’s wearing it.
Tellason: Item of the Week and a 4th of July Sale
Plaid and chambray, straight from their San Francisco factory, 20% off until there’s a new pick of the week tomorrow.
Tellason are running a 4th of July sale too—20% off everything on site through end of day July 4th. Last chance if you’re reading this in time.
Gustin’s Indigo Acid: Not What You Think
Gustin’s latest is a 10.5 oz. crosshatch denim with a deep indigo warp and a strongly tinted yellow weft—the crosshatch grain lets that yellow show through, giving the denim a subtle acid-yellow tint.
Nothing to do with acid wash; the name comes from the colour effect. Available in the 5 Pocket and Workshirt.
Gustin are running an Independence Day stock sale too—up to 50% off, through July 4th.
From the Archive: Raw Denim Brands
Once you’ve got fit figured out, the next question is usually: which brands are actually worth looking at?
The Best Raw Denim Brands guide covers more than 50 makers—Japanese selvedge specialists, American independents, European labels—with enough context on each to help you figure out where to start.
The post My Fit Guide Finally Helps You Find Jeans That Actually Fit appeared first on Denimhunters.
DENIM and PATCHES sourced this post originally published on this site